Struggling With Adoption, Sickle Cell Gene Therapy Manufacturers Embrace CMS Model
-
Dec 12, 2024
Manufacturers of two high-cost gene therapies for sickle cell disease recently agreed to participate in CMS’s Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model, which is set to launch next year. The deals could allow the companies to more widely market their treatments and improve access for Medicaid beneficiaries, although it remains to be seen how many states will choose to participate in the voluntary model.
CMS said in a Dec. 4 press release that it is seeking to have state Medicaid agencies join the model via an application process that runs through the end of February. The agency will then strike outcomes-based agreements (OBAs) with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. and CRISPR Therapeutics, the manufacturers of Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel), and Bluebird Bio Inc., the manufacturer of Lyfgenia (lovotibeglogene autotemcel). Casgevy and Lyfgenia were both approved on Dec. 8, 2023, to treat sickle cell disease, a genetic blood disorder that is primarily found in Black people. States that choose to participate have until Jan. 1, 2026, to implement the model, which will run for six years. Patients will be followed for five years to track outcomes.
Read more© 2024 MMIT
The Latest
Meet Our Reporters
Meet Our Reporters
GAIN THERAPEUTIC AREA-SPECIFIC INTEL TO DRIVE ACCESS FOR YOUR BRAND
Sign up for publications to get unmatched business intelligence delivered to your inbox.